Emma's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 28 Apr 2025 03:44:11 -0700 60 Emma's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Where the Library Hides (Secrets of the Nile, #2)]]> 203578814 Where the Library Hides is Isabel Ibañez's stunning conclusion to the story that started in What the River Knows. A lush immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, and a rivals-to-lovers romance like no other!

"Ana Osorio and Ahmed Hamad are consistently excellent as they deliver this audiobook."�AudioFile

Inez Olivera traveled across the world to Egypt, seeking answers into her parents' recent and mysterious deaths. But all her searching led her down a perilous road, filled with heartache, betrayal, and a dangerous magic that pulled her deep into the past.

When Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider.

Marriage to Whitford Hayes.

Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.]]> 400 Isabel Ibañez 1250822998 Emma 0 3.84 2024 Where the Library Hides (Secrets of the Nile, #2)
author: Isabel Ibañez
name: Emma
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: currently-reading, found-family, historical-fantasy, netgalley
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door]]> 207567816 From the author of The Magician's Daughter comes The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, a mythic, magical tale full of secret scholarship, faerie curses, and the deadliest spells of all—the ones that friends cast on each other.

All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it.

Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England's secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She tells herself she has fought her way there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI which left the doors to faerie country sealed, the study of its magic banned, and its victims cursed.

But when Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country's magical aristocrats. The summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed.

Years later, when the faerie seals break, Clover knows it’s because of what they did. And she knows that she must seek the help of people she once called friends—and now doesn’t quite know what to call—if there’s any hope of saving the world as they know it.]]> 464 H.G. Parry 0316383902 Emma 0 4.15 2024 The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door
author: H.G. Parry
name: Emma
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: currently-reading, british-hf, fae, fantasy, historical-fantasy, magic, netgalley
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dragon Rider (The Soulbound Saga #1)]]> 199921007
Jai has spent his life forced to serve the cruel empire that killed his family and now rules his people.

To grow ever more powerful, the emperor’s young son is betrothed to Princess Erica of the Dansk Kingdom. An unconquerable realm, where ancient beasts roam. The princess brings with her a priceless gift: dragons. Only Dansk Royalty can bond with these magical beasts to draw on their power and strength. Until now.

When the betrothal goes wrong, a bloody coup leads to chaos at court. Finally, Jai has a chance to escape. He flees with a fierce Dansk warrior, Frida, but not before stealing a dragon egg.

To vanquish the empire, he must do the impossible: bond with a dragon. Only then he can seize his destiny, and seek his revenge �

An epic new fantasy, where dragons fly and empires fall.]]> 568 Taran Matharu 0008517657 Emma 4 4.12 2024 Dragon Rider (The Soulbound Saga #1)
author: Taran Matharu
name: Emma
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/28
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: fantasy, found-family, historical-fantasy, magic, dragons, re-read, ya
review:
I really enjoyed this! You can tell because although I usually have a few books on the go, I concentrated almost exclusively on this- the ‘just-one-more-chapter� syndrome. Short chapters meant this was a fast paced book. The magic in this book is based on whether you are soul-bonded or not to an animal. I loved the range of creatures in this book: dragons, gryphon, khiroi, dire wolves , amongst others who share a magical energy with their bonded humans. Jai and Frida are the two central characters but my favourite was Rufus who comes to their aid. A thumping good read.
]]> The Bells of Westminster 205650738 'Delightful and intriguing' - S.W. PERRY
'Wonderfully told and hugely enjoyable' - GUY MORPUSS

London, 1774. The opening of a royal tomb will end in murder...

Susan Bell spends her days within the confines of Westminster Abbey, one of many who live in the grounds of the ancient building. Her father, the kindly but foolish Dean of Westminster, is always busy keeping the many canons and vergers in check, when not being romantically pursued by forceful widows.

Life at the abbey is uneventful, even after the unwelcome arrival of Susan's cousin Lindley and his unusual scientific demonstrations. That is until the Society of Antiquaries come armed with a letter from King George III. They wish to open the tomb of Edward I, each to investigate their own academic interests - whether it be rumours of the royal body's embalmment, an obsession with Arthurian legends or even a supposed Roman temple to Apollo beneath the abbey's undercroft.

However, as the Society prepares to open the tomb, a ghostly figure is seen walking the abbey cloisters, wearing the crown and shroud of the dead king. There is further uproar when one of the Antiquaries is found viciously murdered, and the corpse of Edward I is stolen. With her father's position under threat from the scandal, Susan feels bound to investigate these strange occurrences. Could one of the Society members be harbouring a murderous secret? Or is one of the abbey's own a killer?

The new historical mystery from the bestselling author of Black Drop, Blue Water and Scarlet Town. Perfect for readers of Andrew Taylor, Laura Shepherd-Robinson and S.J. Parris.]]> 380 Leonora Nattrass 1800817002 Emma 4 3.70 2024 The Bells of Westminster
author: Leonora Nattrass
name: Emma
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/28
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: british-hf, family, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, mystery, netgalley
review:

]]> Famous 11107366 210 Blake Crouch 1460928261 Emma 3 contemporary 3.45 2010 Famous
author: Blake Crouch
name: Emma
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/27
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: contemporary
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2)]]> 213618143 The brilliant detective Ana Dolabra may have finally met her match in the gripping sequel to The Tainted Cup—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.

In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard.

To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol.

Before long, Ana’s discovered that they’re not investigating a disappearance, but a murder—and that the killing was just the first chess move by an adversary who seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and who can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future.

Worse still, the killer seems to be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud. Here, the Empire's greatest minds dissect fallen Titans to harness the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the destruction would be terrible indeed—and the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn.

Din has seen Ana solve impossible cases before. But this time, with the stakes higher than ever and Ana seemingly a step behind their adversary at every turn, he fears that his superior has finally met an enemy she can’t defeat.]]> 465 Robert Jackson Bennett 0593723821 Emma 0 owned-to-read 4.55 2025 A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2)
author: Robert Jackson Bennett
name: Emma
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: owned-to-read
review:

]]> The Small Museum 205656514 A chilling historical mystery set against the Gothic backdrop of Victorian London

London, 1873. Madeleine Brewster's marriage to Dr Lucius Everley was meant to be the solution to her family's sullied reputation. After all, Lucius is a well-respected collector of natural curiosities, his 'Small Museum' of bones and things in jars is his pride and joy, although kept under lock and key. His sister Grace's philanthropic work with fallen women is also highly laudable. However, Maddie is confused by and excluded from what happens in what is meant to be her new home.

Maddie's skill at drawing promises a role for her though when Lucius agrees to let her help him in making a breakthrough in evolutionary science, a discovery of the first 'fish with feet'. But the more Maddie learns about both Lucius and Grace, the more she suspects that unimaginable horrors lie behind their polished reputations.

Framed for a crime that would take her to the gallows and leave the Everleys unencumbered, Maddie's only hope is her friend Caroline Fairly. But will she be able to put the pieces together before the trial reaches its fatal conclusion?]]> 320 Jody Cooksley 0749031522 Emma 0 owned-to-read 3.67 The Small Museum
author: Jody Cooksley
name: Emma
average rating: 3.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: owned-to-read
review:

]]> Buried Deep and Other Stories 203956677 A thrilling collection of thirteen short stories that span the worlds of the New York Times bestselling author of the Scholomance Trilogy, including a sneak peek at the land where her next novel will be set.

From the dragon-filled Temeraire series and the gothic, magical halls of the Scholomance trilogy to the fairy tale worlds of Spinning Silver and Uprooted, this stunning collection takes us from fairy tale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction as we travel through Naomi Novik’s most beloved stories.

In Buried Deep, we move from ancient Greece and Rome, through the Middle Ages and the Black Death, and into the modern era. We meet Mark Antony, Sherlock Holmes, and Elizabeth Bennet, in ways we have never seen them before. We visit exotic fantasy cities and alien civilizations among the stars.

Though the stories are vastly different, there is a unifying theme: the act of finding and seizing one’s destiny, and the lengths one will go to achieve that—be it turning pirate, captaining a fighting dragon, or shifting from marriage to seek your destiny with a sword.

And in the two tales original to this collection, we first reenter the remade Scholomance in the wake of El’s revolution and see what life is like for the new crop of students. Then, we get a glimpse at the world of Novik’s upcoming series, a deserted land, populated only by silent and enigmatic architectural behemoths whose secrets are yet to be unlocked.]]> 430 Naomi Novik 0593600355 Emma 4 netgalley 3.99 2024 Buried Deep and Other Stories
author: Naomi Novik
name: Emma
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: netgalley
review:
I’m not usually a fan of short story collections as the quality is often uneven. However, a set of short stories by Naomi Novik is a whole other story. The stories were all based around her longer novels and were a great companion to her range of writing. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> Guilty by Definition 216594965 She knew there'd be ghosts in Oxford, she just didn't think they'd make their way to the dictionary.

Oxford, England. After a decade abroad, Martha Thornhill has returned home to the city whose ancient institutions have long defined her family. But the ghosts she had thought to be at rest seem to have been waiting for her to return. When an anonymous letter is delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary, where Martha is a newly hired senior editor, it's rapidly clear that this is not the usual lexicographical enquiry. Instead, the coded letter hints at secrets and lies linked to a particular year. 

The date can mean only one, the summer Martha's brilliant older sister Charlie went missing. 

When more letters arrive, Martha and her team pull apart the complex clues within them, and soon, the mystery becomes ever more insistent and troubling. Because it seems Charlie had been keeping a powerful secret, and someone may be trying to lead the lexicographers towards the truth that will unravel the mystery of her disappearance. But other forces are no less desperate to keep their secrets well and truly buried, and Martha and her team must crack the codes before it's too late.

From resident lexicographer Susie Dent comes a linguistic mystery that will both delight and shock readers.]]> 384 Susie Dent 1464236070 Emma 4 mystery, netgalley 3.87 2024 Guilty by Definition
author: Susie Dent
name: Emma
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: mystery, netgalley
review:
I loved this literary murder mystery and I can’t wait to read what Susie Dent writes next. This showcases the world of words and publishing and stiff competition amongst book dealers. A highly entertaining read. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Great When (The Long London Quintet, #1)]]> 206101580 From the New York Times bestselling author and legendary storyteller Alan Moore, the first book in an enthralling new fantasy series about murder, magic, and madness in post-WWII London.

Dennis Knuckleyard is a hapless eighteen-year-old who works and lives in a second-hand bookstore. One day, his boss and landlady, Coffin Ada, sends him to retrieve some rare books, one of which, Dennis discovers, should not exist. A London Walk by Rev. Thomas Hampole is a fictitious book that appears in a real novel by another author. Yet A London Walk is physically there in his hands, nonetheless.

Coffin Ada tells Dennis the book comes from the other London, the Great When, a version of the city that is beyond time. In the Great When, epochs blend and realities and unrealities blur, while concepts such as Crime and Poetry are incarnated as wondrous and terrible beings. But, Coffin Ada tells Dennis, if he does not return the book to this other London, he will be killed.

So begins Dennis' adventure in Long London. Delving deep into the city's occult underbelly and tarrying with an eccentric cast of sorcerers, gangsters, and murderers, Dennis finds himself at the center of an explosive series of events that may endanger both Londons.

Mystical, hilarious, and magnificently imagined, The Great When is an unforgettable introduction to the consciousness-altering world of Long London.]]> 315 Alan Moore 1635578841 Emma 3 3.57 2024 The Great When (The Long London Quintet, #1)
author: Alan Moore
name: Emma
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: netgalley, alternative-history, fantasy, historical-fantasy, urban-fantasy
review:
This book is a bit weird! I wouldn’t necessarily expect anything less from Alan Moore. This is the first time I’ve read anything other than a comic or graphic novel from him before (has he written any?)but I really loved his way with words and to be honest, it was a large part of the reason I managed to continue to the end. I would still be curious to see how the series pans out. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> <![CDATA[True Confessions of an Ambivalent Caregiver]]> 211350366
At first grateful to be able remodel the dining room of her family’s modest home in Connecticut to accommodate her eighty-six-year-old father for what everyone felt would be a short duration of care, Cindy Eastman ultimately experienced a whole gamut of feelings over the course of what turned out to be four years of caring for her dying dad. Caregiving impacts everyone, and this account—told in essays recorded before, during, and after the time Eastman’s father was with her—details that impact, not just on the primary caregiver but also the rest of the family.

One of the reasons Eastman committed to writing down her experiences was because she predicted that once her dad died, there would be a tendency to soften or even deny any of the negative and challenging times—and there were many. As of 2020, more than 53 million adults provide homecare in this country, and the reality of that arrangement is different for every family. It is not, as some might suggest, a “noble gesture� but rather an elegant conflict—an intricate reassembling of the family dynamic that many people don’t ever see coming. In these candid, often poignant essays, Cindy Eastman brings all the emotions of taking on the challenging responsibility of caregiving a parent at the end of their life to the surface.]]> 168 Cindy Eastman 1647427185 Emma 5 4.10 True Confessions of an Ambivalent Caregiver
author: Cindy Eastman
name: Emma
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: contemporary, family, netgalley, non-fiction
review:
This book hurt my heart and kudos to the author for telling her story so honestly. I went through a similar experience with my mum at the end of her life. It’s not easy to care for an end of life parent, especially when there’s not much appreciation for all you do. So this author’s story resonated, particular the more difficult side and emotions evoked. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> Death in the Arctic 211603176 A frozen wilderness.

A killer in the skies.

When aspiring travel writer Chloé Campbell is invited aboard a luxury airship flying to the North Pole, she thinks she’s bagged the opportunity of a lifetime.

But she hasn’t had long to admire the dazzling icy views before a fellow passenger is found dead in their cabin.

Trapped at the top of the world, the group agrees a tragic accident has occurred. But as the hours tick by, fear turns to doubt.

It seems everyone’s a suspect.

And it isn’t long before the passengers begin to turn on each other . . .]]> 355 Tom Hindle 1804949426 Emma 4 3.69 2025 Death in the Arctic
author: Tom Hindle
name: Emma
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/23
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: contemporary, crime, mystery, netgalley
review:
I enjoyed this book a lot. There’s something to be said for an old style murder mystery and this one held my interest. It didn’t really feel like as much time was spent on developing character but the setting was great. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> Three Days in June 213243949 A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter's wedding.

Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.

Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life, Three Days in June is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer at the height of her powers

]]> 165 Anne Tyler 0593803485 Emma 5 3.61 2025 Three Days in June
author: Anne Tyler
name: Emma
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/24
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: contemporary, family, netgalley
review:

]]> Passiontide 203608446 When a female musician is found murdered on a small tropical island, after a string of similar deaths, outraged local women take matters into their own hands.The quiet calm of Ash Wednesday morning. Carnival is over. Everyone on the small island of St. Colibri is sleeping peacefully. Everyone except Sora Tanaka, a young pan player laying under the cannonball tree. Sora, a professional musician, had been visiting St. Colibri to take part in the island’s famous steel pan competition. But Sora isn’t asleep; she’s brutally murdered, and still in her costume. And as the women of this island know all too well, Sora is far from the first woman to be killed, and she probably won’t be the last, either. In fact, the problem of women being killed on the island is so bad, there’s even a dedicated unit within the police OMWEN, the Office for Murdered Women, headed by Inspector Cuthbert Loveday. In this powerful new rewriting of the detective novel, Sora’s death is the last straw and the beginning of something much larger, a revolution some are calling it. The event draws together four women who had never before een each other as a friend of the victim, the organizer of a sex workers� collective, a local activist, and the Prime Minister’s wife. Tenderly, sometimes, hilariously, Passiontide chronicles how these women join forces and find new ways to help one another.]]> 368 Monique Roffey 0593802470 Emma 4 3.83 Passiontide
author: Monique Roffey
name: Emma
average rating: 3.83
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/23
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: bipoc, contemporary, crime, detectives, found-family, netgalley
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wagamama Cookbook (Wagamama Titles)]]> 43367474 204 Hugo Arnold Emma 3 food 3.75 2004 The Wagamama Cookbook (Wagamama Titles)
author: Hugo Arnold
name: Emma
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: food
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fool's Quest (The Fitz and The Fool, #2)]]> 25039542 Acclaimed and bestselling author Robin Hobb continues her Fitz and the Fool trilogy with this second entry, following Fool’s Assassin, ramping up the tension and the intrigue as disaster continues to strike at Fitz’s life and heart.

After nearly killing his oldest friend, the Fool, and finding his daughter stolen away by those who were once targeting the Fool, FitzChivarly Farseer is out for blood. And who better to wreak havoc than a highly trained and deadly former royal assassin? Fitz might have let his skills go fallow over his years of peace, but such things, once learned, are not so easily forgotten. And nothing is more dangerous than a man who has nothing left to lose…]]> 753 Robin Hobb 0007444230 Emma 4 I would say to anyone new to Hobb and unsure of reading order: make sure you read the Liveships and Rainwild series before you attempt this trilogy. Personally I'd read them before the Tawny Man trilogy too.
Magic!]]> 4.65 2015 Fool's Quest (The Fitz and The Fool, #2)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2017/03/26
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: historical-fantasy, currently-reading, dragons, epic-fantasy, family, fantasy, found-family, magic, re-read
review:
This as with all Robin Hobb books, is slow to action, frustratingly so at times. And yet every delicious word of it is important. In the Tawny Man trilogy there were the odd mention of the Rainwild/ Liveship details, but only in this book does it become apparent that the dragons and the Rainwilds are all merging together into the same wonderful story. Hobb is really going to do it: bring together all the strands from all her books. I've read the blurb for the final book in this trilogy and I am so excited! Only about 6 weeks until the final book is published. I can't wait but am also dreading this wonderful journey ending. If it is the end...
I would say to anyone new to Hobb and unsure of reading order: make sure you read the Liveships and Rainwild series before you attempt this trilogy. Personally I'd read them before the Tawny Man trilogy too.
Magic!
]]> <![CDATA[Fool's Assassin (The Fitz and the Fool, #1)]]> 22074905 Robin Hobb returns to her best loved characters in a brand new series.

Tom Badgerlock has been living peaceably in the manor house at Withywoods with his beloved wife Molly these many years, the estate a reward to his family for loyal service to the crown.

But behind the facade of respectable middle-age lies a turbulent and violent past. For Tom Badgerlock is actually FitzChivalry Farseer, bastard scion of the Farseer line, convicted user of Beast-magic, and assassin. A man who has risked much for his king and lost more�

On a shelf in his den sits a triptych carved in memory stone of a man, a wolf and a fool. Once, these three were inseparable friends: Fitz, Nighteyes and the Fool. But one is long dead, and one long-missing.

Then one Winterfest night a messenger arrives to seek out Fitz, but mysteriously disappears, leaving nothing but a blood-trail. What was the message? Who was the sender? And what has happened to the messenger?

Suddenly Fitz's violent old life erupts into the peace of his new world, and nothing and no one is safe.

]]> 641 Robin Hobb Emma 5 I’ve upgraded to 5 stars now! Now I’ve read the whole series, this book makes complete sense- the first time I read it I had some doubts and wasn’t entirely sure what was going on- but it’s utterly brilliant.
July 2016
I am A big fan of Robin Hobb and FitzChivalry. Her books are so character driven that I feel I know Fitz inside out and so was slightly surprised to realise this is only the seventh book he has been in. This is the first book where I think I have lost a little faith in him, not that it's ever been a surprise that he is a flawed character, but he has always been my hero.

This was slow and gorgeous as only Robin Hobb can be and yet with all those pages, the ending still seemed rushed.

I remember not being completely taken with the Farseer trilogy the first time I read it and yet with hindsight, they were brilliant: they improve in the context of the overall story arc of Fitz's life. So I think I need to read the rest of this trilogy to understand everything in this first volume of the Fitz and the Fool.

I love the world that Robin Hobb has created and I loved revisiting it. Not sure whether I love this..yet..]]> 4.60 2014 Fool's Assassin (The Fitz and the Fool, #1)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: historical-fantasy, fantasy, epic-fantasy, re-read, dragons, found-family, magic
review:
Reread July 2021
I’ve upgraded to 5 stars now! Now I’ve read the whole series, this book makes complete sense- the first time I read it I had some doubts and wasn’t entirely sure what was going on- but it’s utterly brilliant.
July 2016
I am A big fan of Robin Hobb and FitzChivalry. Her books are so character driven that I feel I know Fitz inside out and so was slightly surprised to realise this is only the seventh book he has been in. This is the first book where I think I have lost a little faith in him, not that it's ever been a surprise that he is a flawed character, but he has always been my hero.

This was slow and gorgeous as only Robin Hobb can be and yet with all those pages, the ending still seemed rushed.

I remember not being completely taken with the Farseer trilogy the first time I read it and yet with hindsight, they were brilliant: they improve in the context of the overall story arc of Fitz's life. So I think I need to read the rest of this trilogy to understand everything in this first volume of the Fitz and the Fool.

I love the world that Robin Hobb has created and I loved revisiting it. Not sure whether I love this..yet..
]]> Creation Lake 207300960 416 Rachel Kushner 1982116528 Emma 3 netgalley 3.34 2024 Creation Lake
author: Rachel Kushner
name: Emma
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: netgalley
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Murder for Busy People (Max Wolfe, #7)]]> 203942304 Emma Moon is out.

She's served nine years hard time for an armed robbery that killed two men and enriched many more.

But Emma’s never talked; she's never revealed who was with her on the day of the robbery or who killed both men. And she's never given up the money.

And now she's free. But everything has her family; her share of the money and her faithless loser of a husband.

So now Emma Moon is in a hurry. Because it's payback time and, after nine years inside, she has friends and she has disciples - people who will do anything for her.

As the bodies of the innocent and the guilty pile up, one detective stands between a career criminal and her quest for revenge.

Max Wolfe, single parent of a teenage daughter, a fiercely independent detective who owes nothing to anyone and who has own very particular form of justice ...]]> 389 Tony Parsons 1804941077 Emma 5 4.29 Murder for Busy People (Max Wolfe, #7)
author: Tony Parsons
name: Emma
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: contemporary, crime, detectives, netgalley, thriller
review:

]]> The Formidable Miss Cassidy 56843460
However, she may have met her match in the indefatigable businessman, Mr Kay Wing Tong, whose large and constantly-growing family clearly requires female supervision—especially of the particular kind Miss Cassidy can provide. Ill omens and strange happenings surround Mr Kay and his colourful family, and Miss Cassidy must find a way to defend the ones she has learned to love.]]> 248 Meihan Boey 9814901881 Emma 5 3.98 2021 The Formidable Miss Cassidy
author: Meihan Boey
name: Emma
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: bipoc, british-hf, fantasy, found-family, historical-fantasy, netgalley, oriental-chinese-japanese, victorian-hf
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles #4)]]> 18362422
The dragons and their dedicated band of keepers have at last found the lost city of Kelsingra. The magical creatures have learned to use their wings and are growing into their regal inheritance. Their humans, too, are changing. As the mystical bonds with their dragons deepen, Thymara, Tats, Rapskal, and even Sedric, the unlikeliest of keepers, have begun transforming into beautiful Elderlings raked with exquisite features that complement and reflect the dragons they serve.

But while the humans have scoured the empty streets and enormous buildings of Kelsingra, they cannot find the mythical silver wells the dragons need to stay health and survive. With enemies encroaching, the keepers must risk "memory walking"- immersing themselves in the dangerously addictive memories of long-deceased Elderlings - to uncover clues necessary to their survival.

And time is of the essence, for the legendary Tintaglia, long feared dead, has returned, wounded in a battle with humans hunting dragon blood and scales. She is weakening and only the hidden silver can revive her. If Tintaglia dies, so, too, will the ancient memories she carries - a devastating loss that will ensure the dragons' extinction.]]> 544 Robin Hobb Emma 5 4.43 2013 Blood of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles #4)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: fantasy, dragons, found-family, historical-fantasy, lbgtq, magic, multi-generational, re-read
review:

]]> Medici Heist 180634054
Sharp-witted seventeen-year-old con-woman Rosa Cellini has plans for the Pope and the Medicis - and, more specifically, the mountain of indulgence money they've been extorting from the people of Tuscany. To pull off the Renaissance's greatest robbery, she'll recruit a team of capable Sarra the tinkerer, Khalid the fighter, and Giacomo, the irrepressible master of disguise. To top it all off, and to smooth their entrance into the fortress-like Palazzo Medici, Rosa even enlists the reluctant help of famed artist and local misanthrope, Michelangelo.

Old secrets resurface and tensions in the gang flare as the authorities draw closer and the Medicis' noose pulls tighter around Tuscany itself. What began as a robbery becomes a bid to save Florence from certain destruction - if Rosa and company don't destroy each other first.

Get ready for an absolute swashbuckling riot, beginning with a 'mud' pie to the Pope's face, and ending with a climatic heist that would give Danny Ocean a run for his money. Bursting with snark, innuendo and action, Medici Heist is your next un-put-downable obsession.]]> 421 Caitlin Schneiderhan Emma 4 3.57 2024 Medici Heist
author: Caitlin Schneiderhan
name: Emma
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: crime, fantasy, found-family, historical-fiction, netgalley
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Among the Burning Flowers (The Roots of Chaos, #0.5)]]> 222376983 With the awakening of fire-breathing dragons, Among the Burning Flowers sees the first sparks of danger that threaten to consume the world in The Priory of the Orange Tree.

Take your first steps into the epic.
Yscalin, land of sunshine and lavender, will soon be ablaze.

It has been centuries since the Draconic Army took wing, almost extinguishing humankind.

Marosa Vetalda is a prisoner in her own home, controlled by her cold father, King Sigoso. Over the mountains, her betrothed, Aubrecht Lievelyn, rules Mentendon in all but name. Together, they intend to usher in a better world.

A better world seems impossibly distant to Estina Melaugo, who hunts the Draconic beasts that have slept across the world for centuries.

And now the great wyrm Fýredel is stirring, and Yscalin will be the first to fall . . .

A story of human resilience in the face of dire circumstances, Among the Burning Flowers leads readers through the gripping and tragic circumstances that pave the way for the opening of the million-copy bestseller The Priory of The Orange Tree.

Richly illustrated with magical artwork by Rovina Cai (@rovinacai).]]> 304 Samantha Shannon 1639736018 Emma 4 4.42 2025 Among the Burning Flowers (The Roots of Chaos, #0.5)
author: Samantha Shannon
name: Emma
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy, netgalley
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Assassin's Apprentice, Volume 2]]> 209579185 In the second installment of Assassin’s Apprentice, Fitz is given a mission to infiltrate a nobleman’s estate for signs of treason, the kingdom is plagued by Red-Ship Raiders, and the fate of the realm hinges on Fitz’s choices.

Tensions rise, and a determined stranger’s arrival adds to the uncertainty. When King Shrewd decides that Fitz must learn The Skill, the harsh training of the Skillmaster Galen will bring Fritz to a breaking point. Fitz’s journey of resilience and self-doubt takes an emotional toll, while Burrich and Molly offer support.

Dark Horse Comics is proud to present part 2 of Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Apprentice!

Collects Assassin’s Apprentice II #1�6.]]> 144 Robin Hobb 1506728987 Emma 4 4.30 Assassin's Apprentice, Volume 2
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[City of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles #3)]]> 26841446
The dragon keepers and fledgling dragons have discovered a route to the lost city of Kelsingra but there is one problem: they need to be able to fly to cross the treacherous waters and enter the fabled city. At first, only a few dragons are willing to try � the others are either too ashamed of their deformed wings and feeble muscles or too proud to risk failure and humiliation.

But the rewards waiting at Kelsingra for those brave enough to take to the air are worth more than they could possibly imagine. This was a city built for dragons and their keepers. Alise Finbok is overwhelmed by the treasures she finds there, and spends hours carefully uncovering wonder after wonder, recording her findings for posterity. She knows the knowledge will change everything the world thought about dragons and the Elderlings.

Yet rumours of the city’s discovery have floated down the Rain Wild River and reached envious ears in Bingtown and beyond. Adventurers, pirates and fortune hunters are coming in droves to pillage what they can from the city. Will the dragons, only just finding their strength, and their keepers, who are changing in their own mysterious ways, be able to fend them off?

And what has happened to Tintaglia, the dragon-mother who started it all? Has she really abandoned her offspring forever? Or will she too return to seek the riches of Kelsingra…]]> 425 Robin Hobb 0008154414 Emma 5 fantasy 3.98 2011 City of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles #3)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> Precipice 199820684
In London, twenty-six-year-old Venetia Stanley—aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless—is part of a fast group of upper-crust bohemians and socialites known as “The Coterie.� She’s also engaged in a clandestine love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age. He writes to her obsessively, sharing the most sensitive matters of state.

As Asquith reluctantly leads the country into war with Germany, a young intelligence officer with Scotland Yard is assigned to investigate a leak of top-secret documents. Suddenly, what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that could topple the British government—and will alter the course of political history.

An unrivaled master of seamlessly weaving fact and fiction, Precipice is another electrifying thriller from the brilliant imagination of Robert Harris.]]> 464 Robert Harris 0063248050 Emma 4 3.86 2024 Precipice
author: Robert Harris
name: Emma
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: british-hf, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, mystery, netgalley
review:
This was a very interesting story- absolutely unbelievable that the security was so lax. The fact this is based on the original and genuine letters still in the Bodleian library, really blows my mind! Some of it felt a bit bloated with too many facts but it was very good read. You can’t go wrong with Robert Harris! Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> The Friend Zone Experiment 195791545
But Renee is lonely. Estranged from her family in Singapore, she practically lives at the office, and now she’s just been dumped by her supposed boyfriend. Who she never saw anyway, so why is she ruining her Instagram-ready makeup by crying?

Before she can curl up on the couch with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, Renee’s father calls. He’s retiring, and, thanks to the screw-ups of her wastrel brothers, he is considering her as the next CEO of the family Chahaya Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Southeast Asia. That stamp of her father’s approval would mean everything to Renee, but can she cooperate with the brothers who drove her out of Singapore?

But fate isn’t done with her. That same night, Renee bumps into her first love, Yap Ket Siong, who broke her heart during university. They spend a wonderful night together, but Ket Siong is pursuing a dangerous vengeance for his family. In the light of day is there any hope for the two of them?]]> 352 Zen Cho 1250330394 Emma 3 3.44 2024 The Friend Zone Experiment
author: Zen Cho
name: Emma
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: bipoc, contemporary, netgalley
review:
Zen Cho can be a bit of a hit or miss author for me. Sometimes she really nails it, but this wasn’t one of those times. I think this is aimed at a much younger audience than me. I found it hard to stay invested and didn't really care about any of the characters. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> Vampires of El Norte 63892214 Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.

Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.

Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.

When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.

And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.]]> 371 Isabel Cañas 0593436725 Emma 4 3.87 2023 Vampires of El Norte
author: Isabel Cañas
name: Emma
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/30
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: america-hf, bipoc, historical-fantasy, historical-fiction, netgalley, vampires, western
review:
I do love a good vampire story and I was very impressed with this one- its originality, its evocative setting, its historical context - a pretty dark horror/love story I’d say! Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> The Art of a Lie 220160172 In 18th-century England, a widowed confectioner is drawn into a web of love, betrayal, and intrigue and a battle of wits in this masterful historical novel from the author of the USA TODAY bestseller The Square of Sevens.

Following the murder of her husband in what looks like a violent street robbery, Hannah Cole is struggling to keep her head above water. Her confectionary shop on Piccadilly is barely turning a profit, her suppliers conspiring to put her out of business because they don’t like women in trade. Henry Fielding, the famous author-turned-magistrate, is threatening to confiscate the money in her husband’s bank account because he believes it might have been illicitly acquired. And even those who claim to be Hannah’s friends have darker intent.

Only William Devereux seems different. A friend of her late husband, Devereux helps Hannah unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his death. He also tells her about an Italian delicacy called iced cream, an innovation she is convinced will transform the fortunes of her shop. But their friendship opens Hannah to speculation and gossip and draws Henry Fielding’s attention her way, locking her into a battle of wits more devastating than anything she can imagine.]]> 304 Laura Shepherd-Robinson 1668083094 Emma 5 4.40 The Art of a Lie
author: Laura Shepherd-Robinson
name: Emma
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: british-hf, historical-fiction, netgalley
review:
Loved this! I absolutely loved this! And I have to say this would make a great film! The Georgian streets came to life and Henry Fielding plays a prominent part. I learned quite a bit about him, let me tell you! It’s quite difficult to write much about the story without introducing spoilers- the two main characters were interestingly portrayed, with a certain amount of star-crossing. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Whisper in the Wind (The Fetch Phillips Archives, #4)]]> 213941122 Fetch is done being a hero.
Once a detective, all he wants now is to run his café in peace. Sunder City is still recovering from the sudden and violent end of magic, and if one man can't solve all its problems, he can at least stop some people going hungry.
But when a kid on the run shelters in Fetch's café, and a chain of gruesome murders begins among Sunder's high and mighty, trouble is brought to Fetch's door.
There's a word whispered on the wind, and that word is revolution...]]> 417 Luke Arnold 0356521613 Emma 5 4.42 Whisper in the Wind (The Fetch Phillips Archives, #4)
author: Luke Arnold
name: Emma
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: fantasy, found-family, magic, mystery, netgalley, post-apocalypse
review:
I couldn’t wait to get stuck into this- I just finished a reread of the first three in the series in preparation. As usual, the seriousness of the situations are met with Fetch doing the right thing even when that’s not the right thing! (If you know, you know!) I wasn’t expecting the end of the story but again:this is a usual phenomenon with this author. I’m looking forward to the next in series. This is one of my favourite series and this was a worthy addition to it. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> The Forest of a Thousand Eyes 199375057
With stunning two-colour illustrations by superstar illustrator Emily Gravett on every page, this richly atmospheric book is perfect for fans of David Almond and Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

The hungry Forest is moving forward like an army, a green and constant threat to the humans living in and on an increasingly crumbling Wall. Feather, accompanied only by her scaled ferret, Sleek, must avoid the Forest's tentacles, and the many dangerous creatures it shelters, to return the community's precious spyglass to its rightful place. Along the way, she develops her resilience, and meets other people living on the Wall, whose stories and experiences open her mind, and those of her community, to new horizons.

A compelling story filled with adventure, emotional intensity and the rawness of nature.]]> 128 Frances Hardinge 1529090806 Emma 4 4.16 2024 The Forest of a Thousand Eyes
author: Frances Hardinge
name: Emma
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: childrns, netgalley, post-apocalypse, short-stories
review:
Another wonderful piece of work from Frances Hardinge! Absolutely magical. It seemed much younger than her usual audience, but as usual, a universal story for child and adult alike. The illustrations were perfect for the book. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> Warrior (Agricola #2) 216976264 The new thrilling Roman historical adventure in a series based around one of the most renowned and intriguing figures of Ancient Rome.

 In Nero's Rome, ambition is a dangerous thing...

Agricola has won renown for his military exploits in Britannia. Now returned to Rome with his new family, he seeks to rise further - but life in the greatest city on earth proves more difficult than he expected. Roman politics are on a knife-edge - often literally. The Emperor Nero is unpredictable, the manner of his rule unstable.

Agricola soon finds himself posted to the troublesome province of Asia Minor. The local governor is ambitious and dangerous. Falling foul of such a man could mean certain death... and yet a rebellious young warrior like Agricola cannot stay silent for long.

When Agricola experiences personal tragedy, he seeks revenge. Rome, meanwhile, burns in a great fire... but further tumult is to come in the wake of Nero's death. Agricola must tread a careful path to stay alive through the Year of the Four Emperors... a year of blood and ruin throughout the empire.

'You should be reading Simon Turney.' Anthony Riches]]> 381 Simon Turney 1035913402 Emma 3 4.62 Warrior (Agricola #2)
author: Simon Turney
name: Emma
average rating: 4.62
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: family, historical-fiction, netgalley, roman-hf
review:
I shouldn’t have requested this book: I went through a life phase where I binged on Roman warfare stories and then stopped and never went back. Until I saw this advertised on Netgalley. My interest was piqued and I felt I was ready for the genre again. I found the book quite generic to the genre and disliked the main character. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells]]> 199793684
In a magical new direction for One Christmas Morning author Rachel Greenlaw, an evocative and mysterious story about lost love and the magic of coming home, for readers of Adrienne Young and Breanne Randall.

There is an old tale woven through the mountain town of Woodsmoke about a stranger who appears as the first snow falls in winter, who will disappear without a trace as the frost thaws in spring, leaving a broken heart behind.

Carrie Morgan ran from Woodsmoke ten years ago, and the decision has haunted her ever since. Spending a decade painting and drifting around Europe, she tries to forget her family’s legacy and the friends she left behind. But the Morgan women have always been able to harness the power of the mountains surrounding the town, and their spells—and curses—are sewn into the soil. The mountains, they say, never forget.

Sure enough, when Carrie’s grandmother dies and leaves behind her dilapidated cottage, she returns to renovate—certain she will only be there for one winter. She meets Matthieu as the temperature dips, a newcomer who offers to help refurbish the cottage. Before long, and despite warnings from her great-aunt Cora of the old stories, Carrie finds herself falling for the charming stranger. But when the frost thaws in spring, Matthieu goes missing.

Carrie is convinced he’s real, and he’s in danger. As she fights her way across the mountains to find him, she must confront all the reasons why she left Woodsmoke and decide whether the place she’s spent the last decade running from is the home she’s been searching for.

Rachel Greenlaw, the beloved author of One Christmas Morning, returns with another beautifully crafted, emotionally charged, and romantic tale about lost love and the magic of coming home.]]> 311 Rachel Greenlaw 0063378256 Emma 3 3.61 2024 The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells
author: Rachel Greenlaw
name: Emma
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: contemporary, family, fantasy, fantasy-romance, magic, netgalley, small-town
review:
This was a fair read but not really my style. I found it hard to stay engaged and found the characters a bit bland. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> The Kiss of the Nightingale 204640535 A stolen magical gem transforms an orphan’s destiny� A stunning and completely unputdownable romantasy novel set in an alternative historical Paris, The Kiss of the Nightingale weaves together the seduction of Bridgerton and the magic of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone series.




1890, Lutèce: In this city, Talents are everything: precious gems that gift unrivalled skills to their owners. The most coveted, Elite Talents, are claimed by the aristocracy, passed through generations by blood magic.

Cleodora dreamed of inheriting her father’s Tailoring Talent, but when he died, the magic died with him. Now she’s left with empty promises, a dress shop she can’t keep afloat, and her bed-ridden younger sister.

But everything changes when she meets the dark-eyed Lady Dahlia Sibille. Dahlia offers Cleodora a Singing Talent � a chance to save her beloved sister and rewrite her own fate. From the first instant, Cleodora is bewitched� There’s just one catch: she needs to steal an Elite Talent from the prestigious Lenoir family.

As Lutèce’s nightingale, Cleodora is the star of the opera’s galas and balls, worlds away from the darkness and dust of home. But the handsome yet infuriating Vicomte Lenoir is nothing like she expected.

Soon, the Vicomte’s teasing smiles win her over, even as Dahlia’s seductive whispers linger in her ears. Torn between Dahlia, who gave her everything, and the Vicomte, who holds the price of her freedom, is Cleodora in danger of losing it all? Or can she prove that magic isn’t the only gift that counts?

]]> 384 Adi Denner 1774885255 Emma 3 3.69 2024 The Kiss of the Nightingale
author: Adi Denner
name: Emma
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: alternative-history, fantasy, historical-fantasy, netgalley
review:
I feel that if I had been either younger or less far along in my foray into historical fantasy, I would have enjoyed this more. There was less depth to the story, the characters and even the contextual details. I read it without being particularly engaged with the material. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Legacy of Arniston House (Edinburgh Nights, #4)]]> 203578925
Ropa Moyo is a wannabe magician, can speak to the dead, and has officially given up being an intern. Leaving Scottish magic behind, she now works for the English Sorcerer Royal. But just as she adjusts to working for the English, an old enemy reveals a devastating secret about her Gran, and Ropa’s world falls apart.

Outraged, she rushes home, but finds her grandmother dead � murdered � with no killer in sight. What’s more, she’s the prime suspect. In her quest to find the true murderer, Ropa becomes caught in the dark tendrils of a cult, hell-bent on resurrecting an ancient power. Ropa must use her wits, her magic, and call in all favors to stop the ritual � and clear her name.

Edinburgh Nights series:
The Library of the Dead
Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments
The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle
The Legacy of Arniston House]]> 383 T.L. Huchu 1250883091 Emma 3 4.05 2024 The Legacy of Arniston House (Edinburgh Nights, #4)
author: T.L. Huchu
name: Emma
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: bipoc, fantasy, found-family, magic, paranormal, post-apocalypse, urban-fantasy
review:
This is a favourite urban fantasy post apocalyptic series, where the overall story is gaining in depth and darkness. Some of the characters definitely take a wrong turn in this instalment.Poor Ropa cannot seem to catch a break. This was just as well written as the previous books in the series, however I enjoyed it less overall. VERY interested to see what Book 5 will bring! Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> The Heir of Venus 201632610 To her he's a liar .

Lavinia never asked to be fought over. But now Turnus, her childhood sweetheart, has waged a war that threatens to destroy all she holds dear, because Lavinia's father has promised her to somebody else.

Aeneas, rumoured to be the son of Venus, is famed for his bravery, cunning and his vision for a new great Empire. He is also secretive, slippery, and Lavinia wonders why he will never discuss the past he left behind.

So when a stranger arrives in the camp with stories about Aeneas that suggest he is not what she seems, Lavinia realises she has to take her future, and that of her people, into her own hands.]]> 288 Laura Shepperson 1639108432 Emma 2 3.52 2024 The Heir of Venus
author: Laura Shepperson
name: Emma
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: family, historical-fiction, myths, netgalley
review:
I’m normally a fan of Laura Shepperson, it this time the story has disappointed me. It seemed really flat and failed to bring the narrative or characters to life. I prefer her originals stories. Many thanks to NetGalley for an arc of this book.
]]> The Briar Club 181110045 A haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C. boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.

Washington, D.C., 1950. Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital, where secrets hide behind white picket fences. But when the lovely, mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic, she draws her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship: poised English beauty Fliss whose facade of perfect wife and mother covers gaping inner wounds; police officer’s daughter Nora, who is entangled with a shadowy gangster; frustrated baseball star Bea, whose career has ended along with the women’s baseball league of WWII; and poisonous, gung-ho Arlene, who has thrown herself into McCarthy’s Red Scare.

Grace’s weekly attic-room dinner parties and window-brewed sun tea become a healing balm on all their lives, but she hides a terrible secret of her own. When a shocking act of violence tears apart the house, the Briar Club women must decide once and for all: Who is the true enemy in their midst?]]> 432 Kate Quinn 0063244748 Emma 5 4.26 2024 The Briar Club
author: Kate Quinn
name: Emma
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: america-hf, found-family, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, kindle-unlimited
review:
This was an amazing read! I absolutely loved all the characters so well betrayed, the camaraderie and support amongst the boarders at the lodging house. This was an unusual take on a spy story embedded in the anti Communist of the McCarthy era. You knocked it out of the ball park, Ms Quinn! Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Last Hour Between Worlds (The Echo Archives, #1)]]> 182761345
Kembral Thorne is spending a few hours away from her newborn, and she's determined to enjoy herself at this party no matter what. But when the guests start dropping dead, Kem has no choice but to get to work. She is a Hound, after all, and she can't help picking up the scent of trouble. 

She’s not the only one. Her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is on the prowl. They quickly identify what’s causing the a mysterious grandfather clock that sends them down an Echo every time it chimes. In each strange new layer of reality, time resets and a sinister figure appears to perform a blood-soaked ritual. 

As Kem and Rika fall into increasingly macabre versions of their city, they’ll need to rely on their wits—and each other—to unravel the secret of the clock and save their home. ]]> 432 Melissa Caruso 031630347X Emma 3 3.78 2024 The Last Hour Between Worlds (The Echo Archives, #1)
author: Melissa Caruso
name: Emma
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves:
review:
I adore the two previous series from this author that I have read and have been anticipating a new novel from her for a long time. Imagine how excited I was to be given an arc! Delight quickly turned to puzzlement and chaos as the story got underway. I was confused and had so many questions to which there were no answers. I usually enjoy an opportunity to work for a complex plot, but unfortunately not this time. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> The Heart in Winter 199795387 Award-winning writer Kevin Barry’s first novel set in America, a savagely funny and achingly romantic tale of young lovers on the lam in 1890s Montana.

October 1891. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city of Butte, Montana is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers. Here we find Tom Rourke, a young poet and ballad-maker of the town, but also a doper, a drinker, and a fearsome degenerate. Just as he feels his life is heading nowhere fast, Polly Gillespie arrives in town as the new bride of the extremely devout mine captain Long Anthony Harrington. A thunderbolt love affair takes spark between Tom and Polly and they strike out west on a stolen horse, moving through the badlands of Montana and Idaho, and briefly an idyll of wild romance perfects itself. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunmen are soon in hot pursuit and closing in fast. With everything to lose and the safety and anonymity of San Francisco still a distant speck on their horizon, the choices they make will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

In this love story for the ages—lyrical, profane and propulsive—Kevin Barry has once again demonstrated himself to be a master stylist, an unrivalled humourist, and a true poet of the human heart.]]> 256 Kevin Barry 0385550596 Emma 5 3.80 2024 The Heart in Winter
author: Kevin Barry
name: Emma
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: america-hf, found-family, historical-fiction, netgalley, western
review:
Fantastic! It just goes to show: I attempted to start this book several times and just couldn't get into it. But I read the reviews and so many reviewers couldn’t be wrong- so I returned once again. And this time was the charm! I love the spare writing that so completely evoked late 1800s Colorado and the hard hard life portrayed. I loved it. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Assassin's Apprentice, Volume 1]]> 125874015 The first installment of Robin Hobb's New York Times bestselling fantasy epic, The Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy), comes to life in comics form!

When the illegitimate son of a royal prince is discovered in a poor backwater, the boy’s life changes forever. Renamed ‘Fitz� by his new caretakers, the boy is plunged into the maze of scheming and intrigue that makes up the courts of the Six Duchies. But unknown to all, a power has awakened in Fitz. Something in his blood is stirring, and if Fitz cannot learn to control it, it may spell doom for all.

“Fantasy as it ought to be written.â€â€”George R.R. Martin

Dark Horse Comics is proud to present the first installment in Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy, Assassin’s Apprentice!]]> 144 Jody Houser 1506728979 Emma 5 4.18 2023 Assassin's Apprentice, Volume 1
author: Jody Houser
name: Emma
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dragon Haven (Rain Wild Chronicles #2)]]> 11104429 428 Robin Hobb 0007353200 Emma 5 4.32 2010 Dragon Haven (Rain Wild Chronicles #2)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: favorites, dragons, epic-fantasy, fantasy, found-family, historical-fantasy, lbgtq, magic, re-read
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 10 29237224
Collects: Saga #55-60.]]> 160 Fiona Staples 1534323341 Emma 5 4.30 2022 Saga, Volume 10
author: Fiona Staples
name: Emma
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: comics-and-graphic-novels, family, found-family, science-fiction
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 9 29237221
Collects: Saga #49-54.]]> 152 Brian K. Vaughan Emma 5 4.56 2018 Saga, Volume 9
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Emma
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: comics-and-graphic-novels, family, fantasy, found-family, science-fiction
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 8 43307890
Collects: Saga #43-48.]]> 152 Brian K. Vaughan 1534303499 Emma 5 4.46 2017 Saga, Volume 8
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Emma
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: comics-and-graphic-novels, family, science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dragon Keeper (Rain Wild Chronicles #1)]]> 4703450
Thymara, an unschooled forest girl, and Alise, wife of an unloving and wealthy Trader, are among the disparate group entrusted with escorting the dragons to their new home. And on an extraordinary odyssey with no promise of return, many lessons will be learned--as dragons and tenders alike experience hardships, betrayals . . . and joys beyond their wildest imaginings.]]> 553 Robin Hobb 0007273746 Emma 5 3.94 2009 The Dragon Keeper (Rain Wild Chronicles #1)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: fantasy, favorites, re-read, dragons, epic-fantasy, found-family, magic
review:
A lot of Robin Hobb fans don’t like this series but I love it. Just as good on a re read too,
]]> <![CDATA[The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1)]]> 200972804
Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.]]> 406 Robert Jackson Bennett 1399725351 Emma 0 4.36 2024 The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1)
author: Robert Jackson Bennett
name: Emma
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: crime, detectives, fantasy, found-family, mystery, oriental-chinese-japanese, re-read
review:
Absolutely brilliant. I loved it. Brilliantly conceived and delivered. A new world where people can be ‘altered� to gain enhanced abilities, an investigator who prefers to work blindfolded, and a young engraver (enhanced to have a perfect memory)- what initially seems a bizarre but local case spirals out of control with wide implications for the Empire. A real treat for fantasy lovers. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> The Paris Express 214997910 A woman determined to make her mark. A journey that will change everything.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Room and The Pull of The Stars, Emma Donoghue takes readers on a thrilling ride through a simmering turn-of-the-century Paris on the edge of a dazzling future.

Autumn, 1895. Paris is as chaotic as it is glamorous, with industry and invention creating huge wealth and terrible poverty. One morning, an anarchist boards the ill-fated Granville to Paris express train, determined to make her mark on history.

Aboard the train are others from across the the railway crew who have built a life together away from their wives, a little boy travelling alone for the first time, an artist far from home, a wealthy statesman and his invalid wife, and a young woman with a secret.

Truths are revealed and relationships forged as the train speeds towards the City of Light and a future that will change everything...]]> 281 Emma Donoghue 1035057255 Emma 4 british-hf 3.78 2025 The Paris Express
author: Emma Donoghue
name: Emma
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: british-hf
review:

]]> Fool's Fate (Tawny Man, #3) 12479391
The thrilling conclusion to Robin Hobb’s Tawny Man trilogy.

Kingdoms will stand or fall on the beat of a dragon’s wings, or a Fool’s heart.

Prince Dutiful has been charged with a quest to the Outisland to take the head of the black dragon Icefyre. Only then will his betrothed marry him and cement the alliance between their warring kingdoms.

But is Icefyre just a legend? Or does he truly slumber beneath the glaciers? Fitz has prevented his friend the Fool from accompanying them the Fool has foreseen his own death if he ever sets foot on the isle of the black dragon. But as their ship draws in towards Aslevjal a lone figure awaits them…]]> 817 Robin Hobb Emma 5 4.61 2003 Fool's Fate (Tawny Man, #3)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/21
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: fantasy, favorites, epic-fantasy, re-read, dragons, family, found-family, historical-fantasy, magic, multi-generational
review:
I love that we get to see Burrich again and that finally Fitz gets the life he deserves. The Fool sees his vision fulfilled, Dutiful becomes a man, the mystery of the Narcheska, solved. Robin Hobb really leaves no stone unturned in her writing, so much detail and connection, all minutely threaded between her books. Magnificent!
]]> <![CDATA[The Silent Girl (Sebastian Bergman #4)]]> 33970753
Sebastian Bergman has been brought in to solve the crime, but with no credible suspects, he is at a dead end.

Until he discovers that there was a witness to the crime. A young girl who saw it all happen, and she has disappeared.

Bergman has to track the young girl down before it’s too late. But the killer is chasing her too � and he is determined to finish what he started.]]> 464 Michael Hjorth 1473535379 Emma 4 4.22 2014 The Silent Girl (Sebastian Bergman #4)
author: Michael Hjorth
name: Emma
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/21
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: contemporary, crime, detectives, family, mystery, police-procedural
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Journey of Patrick O'Malley]]> 228402781
Upon arriving in New York City, Patrick's ideals are further tested. The vibrant but brutal streets of Five Points expose him to new struggles-poverty, exploitation, and the complexities of survival in an unfamiliar land. His interactions with other immigrant groups, African Americans, and native-born citizens reveal the deep divisions within society.

Patrick's time with the Dead Rabbits gang serves as a turning point. Initially drawn by a desire for protection and belonging, he quickly becomes disillusioned with the violence and chaos. However, the loss he suffers in a gang-related incident forces Patrick to reevaluate his choices.

With the encouragement of Eliza, Patrick begins to channel his pain into purpose and transitions from a fighter to a builder-a labor organizer fighting for dignity and fairness for his fellow Irish immigrants.]]> 165 Sean D Clark Emma 0 to-read 4.78 The Journey of Patrick O'Malley
author: Sean D Clark
name: Emma
average rating: 4.78
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Vengeful Harvest (Alec Cattanach, #1)]]> 125555934 334 Lexie Conyngham 191092685X Emma 3 4.50 A Vengeful Harvest (Alec Cattanach, #1)
author: Lexie Conyngham
name: Emma
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: british-hf, crime, detectives, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, police-procedural
review:

]]> The Sublet 224277538 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Greer Hendricks comes a chilling story about the hidden cost of perfection.

Anne is barely keeping it together. A frazzled ghostwriter and aspiring novelist, she juggles nine-year-old twins and a listless marriage from an overcrowded Manhattan apartment, spreading herself thinner each day. Just as Anne is about to give up on her dreams, she lands her biggest client Melody Wells.

Melody paints a picture of serenity and empowerment in the lavender haze of her visualization workshops—however, the one thing she can’t manifest are the pages her publisher is demanding for her new motivational book. Enter Anne.

As Melody invites Anne deeper into her magical world, Anne finds herself working impossibly long days and traveling far beyond her comfort zone.

When Melody passes along a lead on a spacious sublet complete with East River views, built-in closets, and three bedrooms, Anne can’t believe her luck. Melody seems to know just what her family needs. But as small, unsettling incidents begin to accumulate, Anne starts to wonder what price she’s willing to pay for the good life.]]> 61 Greer Hendricks 1662528515 Emma 3 3.23 2025 The Sublet
author: Greer Hendricks
name: Emma
average rating: 3.23
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: family, short-stories, contemporary
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Where the Heart Leads (Casebook of Barnaby Adair, #1)]]> 39890944 Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ASIN B000XPNV26 here.

Penelope Ashford, Portia Cynster's younger sister, has grown up with every advantage - wealth, position, and beauty. Yet Penelope is anything but a typical ton miss - forceful, willful and blunt to a fault, she has for years devoted her considerable energy and intelligence to directing an institution caring for the forgotten orphans of London's streets.

But now her charges are mysteriously disappearing. Desperate, Penelope turns to the one man she knows who might help her - Barnaby Adair.

Handsome scion of a noble house, Adair has made a name for himself in political and judicial circles. His powers of deduction and observation combined with his pedigree has seen him solve several serious crimes within the ton. Although he makes her irritatingly uncomfortable, Penelope throws caution to the wind and appears on his bachelor doorstep late one night, determined to recruit him to her cause.

Barnaby is intrigued-both by her story, and her. Her bold beauty and undeniable brains make a striking contrast to the usual insipid ton misses. And as he's in dire need of an excuse to avoid said insipid misses, he accepts her challenge, never dreaming she and it will consume his every waking hour.

Enlisting the aid of Inspector Basil Stokes of the fledgling Scotland Yard, they infiltrate the streets of London's notorious East End. But as they unravel the mystery of the missing boys, they uncover the trail of a criminal embedded in the very organization recently created to protect all Londoners. And that criminal knows of them and their efforts, and is only too ready to threaten all they hold dear, including their new-found knowledge of the intrigues of the human heart.]]> 495 Stephanie Laurens Emma 3 4.34 Where the Heart Leads (Casebook of Barnaby Adair, #1)
author: Stephanie Laurens
name: Emma
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: british-hf, crime, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, historical-romance, regency-hf
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Murder at Gulls Nest (Nora Breen Investigates #1)]]> 214151311 A cozy mystery series about a former nun who searches for answers in a small seaside town after her pen pal mysteriously disappears

1954: When her former novice’s dependable letters stop, Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a line in Frieda’s letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel in Gore-on-Sea in Kent. A seaside town, a place of fresh air and relaxed constraints, is the perfect place for a new start. Nora hides her identity and pries into the lives of her fellow guests—but when a series of bizarre murders rattles the occupants of Gulls Nest it’s time to ask if a dark past can ever really be left behind.]]> 325 Jess Kidd 1668034034 Emma 4 3.87 2025 Murder at Gulls Nest (Nora Breen Investigates #1)
author: Jess Kidd
name: Emma
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: british-hf, cosy-mystery, crime, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, mystery
review:

]]> All the Colours of the Dark 168724761 A missing persons mystery, a serial killer thriller, and an epic love story - with a unique twist on each...

Late one summer, the town of Monta Clare is shattered by the abduction of teenager Joseph 'Patch' Macauley. Nobody more so than Saint Brown, who will risk everything to find her best friend.

But when she does: it will break her heart.

Patch lies alone in a pitch-black room - until he feels a hand in his. Her name is Grace and, though they cannot see each other, she lights their world with her words.

But when he escapes: there is no sign she ever even existed.

Left with only her voice and her name, he paints her from broken memories - and charts an epic search to find her.

As years turn to decades, and hope becomes obsession, Saint will shadow his journey - on a darker path to hunt down the man who took them - and set free the only boy she ever loved.

Even if finding the truth means losing each other forever...]]> 580 Chris Whitaker 1398707686 Emma 4 4.41 2024 All the Colours of the Dark
author: Chris Whitaker
name: Emma
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Broken Bridge 288676 224 Philip Pullman 0679847154 Emma 5 3.43 1990 The Broken Bridge
author: Philip Pullman
name: Emma
average rating: 3.43
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: childrns, contemporary, family, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Comet in Moominland (The Moomins, #2)]]> 1003725 ]]> 192 Tove Jansson 0713628278 Emma 4 4.26 1946 Comet in Moominland (The Moomins, #2)
author: Tove Jansson
name: Emma
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1946
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Great Hippopotamus Hotel (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #25)]]> 205436029 In this latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith’s beloved No. 1 Ladies� Detective Agency, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi take on an intriguing new case and uncover surprising truths

In the rolling hills just outside Gaborone, surrounded by a grove of acacia trees, lies The Great Hippopotamus Hotel. With spacious rooms overlooking the Botswanan countryside and a fine and loyal staff, the hotel has served as a refuge to weary travelers for many years. But a sudden string of misfortunes threatens to ruin the hotel’s reputation. Food poisoning befalls an unlucky diner, laundry mysteriously disappears from the drying line, and a scorpion stings one of the guests. Mishap after mishap, until it seems these incidents are more than simple coincidences—something foul is afoot.

Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are on the case to find out who could be responsible for these unfortunate events. The answer at first seems clear, especially when they find out Violet Sephotho is involved. But as they dig deeper, they realize that the solution is not as simple as it initially seems. Meanwhile, one of Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni’s most important clients has asked him to source a sports car, putting him in a ticklish position as the man’s wife seems to be unaware of the purchase and the client is taking great pains to keep it that way. Nevertheless, with a healthy dose of good humor and kindness, Mma Ramotswe and her associates must help restore the reputation of the hotel and prove that even the most difficult situations can be remedied with honesty and compassion.]]> 240 Alexander McCall Smith 0593701763 Emma 4 3.98 2024 The Great Hippopotamus Hotel (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #25)
author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Emma
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: africa, cosy-mystery, detectives, family, found-family, small-town
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Golden Fool (Tawny Man, #2)]]> 12479390
The second book in Robin Hobb’s thrilling fantasy series returns readers to the Six Duchies and the magical world of the Fitz and the Fool.

Fitz has been persuaded back to court, posing as a servant to the decadent Lord Golden (who is the Fool in disguise). In secret, he will train Prince Dutiful in the magic known as the Skill.

The peace remains fragile, so the diplomatic wedding between Dutiful and the Outislander princess is a crucial alliance. But when Elliania arrives she challenges the prince to undertake an impossible quest before she will accept him.

He must kill Icefyre, one of the last true dragons. And Fitz and the Fool must go with him…]]> 641 Robin Hobb 0007370482 Emma 5 4.50 2002 The Golden Fool (Tawny Man, #2)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy, re-read, found-family, historical-fantasy
review:
If you like fast pacing and high action, walk away! This story introduces one of my favourite characters, Thick, a ‘dim-wit � serving boy who becomes an essential part of Dutiful’s coterie. As always with Hobb’s writing, the deep, thoughtful details and awareness of the human psyche are an invaluable part of her books. It pained my heart to see the Fool and Fitz so out of sync in this one. I love that Fitz, our ‘hero� is no hero and makes many mistakes and missteps and yet tries to do the right thing. His role as catalyst seems particularly well defined in this book. Recommended, but you need to be prepared for the long haul for the whole of the Realm of the Elderlings.
]]> Such Charming Liars 201055456 The newest mystery from the author One of Us Is Lying, the Queen of thrillers, Karen M. McManus! When mother-daughter grifters set out on their final job, the heist gets deadly and dangerously personal.

For all of Kat’s life, it’s just been her and her mother, Jamie—except for the forty-eight hours when Jamie was married and Kat had a stepbrother, Liam. That all ended in an epic divorce, and Kat and Liam haven’t spoken since.

Now Jamie is a jewel thief trying to go straight, but she has one last job—at billionaire Ross Sutherland’s birthday party. And Kat has figured out a way to tag along. What Kat doesn’t know, though, is that there are two surprise guests at the dazzling Sutherland compound that weekend. The last two people she wants to run into. Liam and his father—a serial scammer who has his sights set on Ross Sutherland’s youngest daughter.

Kat and Liam are on a collision course to disaster, and when a Sutherland dies, they realize they might actually be in the killer’s crosshairs themselves. Somehow Kat and Liam are the new targets, and they can’t trust anyone—except each other.

Or can they? Because if there’s one thing both Kat and Liam know, it’s how to lie. They learned from the best.]]> 320 Karen M. McManus 0241676983 Emma 3 3.71 2024 Such Charming Liars
author: Karen M. McManus
name: Emma
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: contemporary, crime, family, ya
review:

]]> The Complete Talking Heads 20575
First produced for BBC television in 1988 to great critical acclaim, the Talking Heads monologues also appeared on the West End Stage in London in 1992 and 1998. In 2002, seven of the pieces were performed at the Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles for a highly praised brief engagement, and in 2003 a selection of the monologues premiered in New York at the Minetta Lane Theatre. These extraordinary portraits of ordinary people confirm Alan Bennett's place as one of the most gifted, versatile, and important writers in the English Language.]]> 208 Alan Bennett 031242308X Emma 5 4.28 1988 The Complete Talking Heads
author: Alan Bennett
name: Emma
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sword Catcher (The Chronicles of Castellane, #1)]]> 36679274
Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword Catcher—the body double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are as close as brothers, but Kel knows that his destiny is to die for Conor. No other future is possible.

Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community whose members still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls within the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend without access to forbidden knowledge.

After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane’s underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces.

As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will their discoveries plunge their nation into war—and the world into chaos?]]> 624 Cassandra Clare 0525619992 Emma 4 3.79 2023 Sword Catcher (The Chronicles of Castellane, #1)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Emma
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy, found-family, historical-fantasy, magic, re-read, post-apocalypse
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Restless Truth (The Last Binding, #2)]]> 59807966 Magic! Murder! Shipboard romance!

Maud Blyth has always longed for adventure. She expected plenty of it when she volunteered to serve as an old lady’s companion on an ocean liner, in order to help her beloved older brother unravel a magical conspiracy that began generations ago.

What she didn’t expect was for the old lady in question to turn up dead on the first day of the voyage. Now she has to deal with a dead body, a disrespectful parrot, and the lovely, dangerously outrageous Violet Debenham, who’s also returning home to England. Violet is everything that Maud has been trained to distrust yet can’t help but desire: a magician, an actress, and a magnet for scandal.

Surrounded by the open sea and a ship full of suspects, Maud and Violet must first drop the masks that they’ve both learned to wear before they can unmask a murderer and somehow get their hands on a magical object worth killing for—without ending up dead in the water themselves.]]> 388 Freya Marske 1250788919 Emma 0 owned-to-read 3.86 2022 A Restless Truth (The Last Binding, #2)
author: Freya Marske
name: Emma
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: owned-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Serpent and the Pearl (The Borgias, #1)]]> 15808321 Rome, 1492. The Holy City is drenched with blood and teeming with secrets. A pope lies dying and the throne of God is left vacant, a prize awarded only to the most virtuous--or the most ruthless. The Borgia family begins its legendary rise, chronicled by an innocent girl who finds herself drawn into their dangerous web...
Vivacious Giulia Farnese has floor-length golden hair and the world at her feet: beauty, wealth, and a handsome young husband. But she is stunned to discover that her glittering marriage is a sham, and she is to be given as a concubine to the ruthless, charismatic Cardinal Borgia: Spaniard, sensualist, candidate for Pope--and passionately in love with her.
Two trusted companions will follow her into the Pope's shadowy harem: Leonello, a cynical bodyguard bent on bloody revenge against a mysterious killer, and Carmelina, a fiery cook with a past full of secrets. But as corruption thickens in the Vatican and the enemies begin to circle, Giulia and her friends will need all their wits to survive in the world of the Borgias.]]> 393 Kate Quinn 0425259463 Emma 4 3.93 2013 The Serpent and the Pearl (The Borgias, #1)
author: Kate Quinn
name: Emma
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: family, historical-fiction, roman-hf
review:

]]> Fool's Errand (Tawny Man, #1) 12479389 ‘Fantasy as it ought to be written� George R.R. Martin

Return to the world of Fitz, the Fool and Nighteyes in the first book of The Tawny Man Trilogy by international bestselling author, Robin Hobb.

Years have passed since Fitz was tortured by Prince Regal. Now he lives in self-imposed exile far from the court. Even his beloved Molly believes him dead. It is safer that way.

But safety remains an illusion. Even though war is over dangerous undercurrents still swirl around the Six Duchies and suddenly young Prince Dutiful disappears just before his crucial diplomatic wedding to shore up the peace.

The Fool brings Fitz a secret mission. He and his bonded companion, the wolf Nighteyes, must find Dutiful and bring him back to be wed. For if the Outislanders are snubbed, war will surely resume. But what if the prince does not wish to be found?

]]> 593 Robin Hobb Emma 5 My only minor niggle is that the first third of the book was very slow and by the end of that section I was on the verge of getting restless for some action.
Loved this book :)]]> 4.57 2001 Fool's Errand (Tawny Man, #1)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: historical-fantasy, magic, fantasy, favorites, re-read, found-family
review:
Much preferred to the first Fitz trilogy but maybe because the Fitz books are so well integrated into this. It also worked really well for me because I read the first trilogy nearly 20 years ago and so I have been away from the world of Buck keep as long as Fitz himself had!
My only minor niggle is that the first third of the book was very slow and by the end of that section I was on the verge of getting restless for some action.
Loved this book :)
]]> The Defense (Eddie Flynn, #1) 26156988
The only thing that matters is what the prosecution can prove.

Eddie Flynn used to be a con artist. Then he became a lawyer. Turned out the two weren't that different.

It's been over a year since Eddie vowed never to set foot in a courtroom again. But now he doesn't have a choice. Olek Volchek, the infamous head of the Russian mafia in New York, has strapped a bomb to Eddie's back and kidnapped his ten-year-old daughter Amy.

Eddie only has 48 hours to defend Volchek in an impossible murder trial - and win - if wants to save his daughter.

Under the scrutiny of the media and the FBI, Eddie must use his razor-sharp wit and every con-artist trick in the book to defend his 'client' and ensure Amy's safety. With the timer on his back ticking away, can Eddie convince the jury of the impossible?

Lose this case and he loses everything.]]> 320 Steve Cavanagh 1250082250 Emma 3 3.99 2015 The Defense (Eddie Flynn, #1)
author: Steve Cavanagh
name: Emma
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: contemporary, crime, mystery, thriller
review:

]]> The Huntress 40245700 In the aftermath of war, the hunter becomes the hunted�

Bold and fearless, Nina Markova always dreamed of flying. When the Nazis attack the Soviet Union, she risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on the invading Germans. When she is stranded behind enemy lines, Nina becomes the prey of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, and only Nina’s bravery and cunning will keep her alive.

Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as the Huntress. To find her, the fierce, disciplined investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape the Huntress alive: the brazen, cocksure Nina. But a shared secret could derail their mission unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.

Growing up in post-war Boston, seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride is determined to become a photographer. When her long-widowed father unexpectedly comes homes with a new fiancée, Jordan is thrilled. But there is something disconcerting about the soft-spoken German widow. Certain that danger is lurking, Jordan begins to delve into her new stepmother’s past—only to discover that there are mysteries buried deep in her family . . . secrets that may threaten all Jordan holds dear.

In this immersive, heart-wrenching story, Kate Quinn illuminates the consequences of war on individual lives, and the price we pay to seek justice and truth.]]> 560 Kate Quinn Emma 5 4.32 2019 The Huntress
author: Kate Quinn
name: Emma
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: america-hf, crime, family, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, mystery
review:

]]> Raised by Wolves 209456142
Two strangers. One small town. And a choice that could change everything.

The police respond to the arrival of two teens at the grocery store. They don’t speak English. They don’t speak at all. They’re brother and sister and, for all anybody can tell, they’ve been raised in the forest.

Two teens appear out of nowhere, ransacking a small-town grocery and attacking the police officers who come to investigate. Their clothes are torn and filthy, their hands and bare feet callused, they have fangs. They’re sister and brother, alone against the world. Where did they come from? Raised by wolves, they say.

Kai and Holo are taken in by the police chief and his wife, and begin adjusting to life in a small town, attending school and going on dates. But humans, they find, are the most vicious animals. And the mystery of their upbringing brings dark and powerful forces to Kokanee Creek, tearing the town apart and threatening the lives of everyone they love. How will the wolves survive? How will Kai and Holo?]]> 368 James Patterson 1538767015 Emma 3 3.58 2024 Raised by Wolves
author: James Patterson
name: Emma
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves:
review:

]]> The Bog Wife 205673392 In this atmospheric Appalachian gothic, the Haddesley siblings of West Virginia must unearth long-buried secrets to carve out a future when the supernatural bargain entwining their fate with their ancestral land is suddenly ruptured

Since time immemorial, the Haddesley family has tended the cranberry bog. In exchange, the bog sustains them. The staunch seasons of their lives are governed by a strict covenant that is renewed each generation with the ritual sacrifice of their patriarch, and in return, the bog produces a “bog-wife.� Brought to life from vegetation, this woman is meant to carry on the family line. But when the bog fails—or refuses—to honor the bargain, the Haddesleys, a group of discordant siblings still grieving the mother who mysteriously disappeared years earlier, face an unknown future.

Middle child Wenna, summoned back to the dilapidated family manor just as her marriage is collapsing, believes the Haddesleys must abandon their patrimony. Her siblings are not so easily persuaded. Eldest daughter Eda, de facto head of the household, seeks to salvage the compact by desecrating it. Younger son Percy retreats into the wilderness in a dangerous bid to summon his own bog-wife. And as youngest daughter Nora takes desperate measures to keep her warring siblings together, fledgling patriarch Charlie uncovers a disturbing secret that casts doubt over everything the family has ever believed about itself.

Brimming with aching loss and the universal struggle between honoring family commitments and the drive to strike out on one’s own, The Bog Wife is a haunting invocation of the arcane power of the habits and habitats that bound us.]]> 336 Kay Chronister 1640096620 Emma 0 to-read 3.59 2024 The Bog Wife
author: Kay Chronister
name: Emma
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> White Houses 35876524 People)--Eleanor Roosevelt and "first friend" Lorena Hickok.

Lorena Hickok meets Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932 while reporting on Franklin Roosevelt's first presidential campaign. Having grown up worse than poor in South Dakota and reinvented herself as the most prominent woman reporter in America, "Hick," as she's known to her friends and admirers, is not quite instantly charmed by the idealistic, patrician Eleanor. But then, as her connection with the future first lady deepens into intimacy, what begins as a powerful passion matures into a lasting love, and a life that Hick never expected to have.

She moves into the White House, where her status as "first friend" is an open secret, as are FDR's own lovers. After she takes a job in the Roosevelt administration, promoting and protecting both Roosevelts, she comes to know Franklin not only as a great president but as a complicated rival and an irresistible friend, capable of changing lives even after his death. Through it all, even as Hick's bond with Eleanor is tested by forces both extraordinary and common, and as she grows as a woman and a writer, she never loses sight of the love of her life.

From Washington, D.C. to Hyde Park, from a little white house on Long Island to an apartment on Manhattan's Washington Square, Amy Bloom's new novel moves elegantly through fascinating places and times, written in compelling prose and with emotional depth, wit, and acuity.]]> 320 Amy Bloom 0525589929 Emma 0 to-read 3.27 2018 White Houses
author: Amy Bloom
name: Emma
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ragpicker King (The Chronicles of Castellane, #2)]]> 36692308
Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace—and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold—a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores.

Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she’s ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying—but strangely magnetic—leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.

Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death—or worse.]]> 557 Cassandra Clare 1529001447 Emma 0 to-read 4.43 2025 The Ragpicker King (The Chronicles of Castellane, #2)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Emma
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Once Was Willem 212987930 From the bestselling author M. R. Carey comes an utterly unique and enchantingly dark epic fantasy fable like no other.

This is the tale of Once Was Willem, who - eleven hundred and some years after the death of Christ, in the kingdom that had but recently begun to call itself England - rose from the dead to defeat a great evil facing the humble village of Cosham.

Pennick for all its beauty was ever a place with a dark reputation. The forests of the Chase were said to be home to nixies and boggarts, and there was a common belief, passed down through many generations, that the castle housed an unquiet ghost of terrible and malign power. These rumours I can attest were all true; indeed they fell short of the truth by a long way . . .]]> 310 M.R. Carey 0316505129 Emma 0 to-read 4.09 2025 Once Was Willem
author: M.R. Carey
name: Emma
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ship of Destiny (Liveship Traders, #3)]]> 12479392
The dragon, Tintaglia, has been released from her wizardwood coffin, only to find that the glories of her kingdom have passed into ancient memory.

Meanwhile, Malta Vestrit navigates the acid flow of the Rain Wild River in a decomposing boat, accompanied by the Satrap Cosgo and his Companion Kekki. Against hope, a ship appears in the alien waters, but does it mean rescue, or a further nightmare, for Malta?

In ruined Bingtown, the citizens are at war, If the city is to survive, Ronica Vestrit must unite all its peoples � both Trader and Tattooed � and liberate the city once and for all.

Althea and Brashen are finally at sea together, sailing the liveship Paragon into pirate waters in a last-ditch effort to rescue the Vestrit family liveship, Vivacia, stolen by the Pirate king, Kennit; but there is mutiny brewing in their rag-tag crew; and in the mind of the mad ship itself�

Majestic and sweeping, Ship of Destiny concludes the tale of the Vestrit family and their part in the history of The Liveship Traders with a soaring and unforgettable finale to this unique series of epic fantasy.]]> 913 Robin Hobb Emma 5 4.55 2000 Ship of Destiny (Liveship Traders, #3)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: fantasy, historical-fantasy, favorites, epic-fantasy, re-read, dragons, family, found-family, magic
review:
I don't know when I was last so gripped by a story. I absolutely loved it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Moomins and the Great Flood (The Moomins, #1)]]> 3300083 The Moomins and the Great Flood is the first book about the Moomins, originally published in 1945. It's the story about Moominmamma and Moomintroll's search for the missing Moominpappa and how they found their way to the Moominvalley.]]> 52 Tove Jansson 9515015502 Emma 5 childrns 4.09 1945 The Moomins and the Great Flood (The Moomins, #1)
author: Tove Jansson
name: Emma
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1945
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: childrns
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Storm and the Sea Hawk (Geomancer #2)]]> 199617540 The thrilling second Geomancer book in the epic fantasy trilogy from the bestselling, award-winning Kiran Millwood Hargrave, for readers of Philip Pullman and Katherine Rundell.

'Destined to be a classic' - Garth Nix
'This tale of adventure and magic is as brave as it is exciting' - Independent
'A stunning adventure' - Cressida Cowell
'Fierce, lyrical ... an earth-shattering fantasy' Piers Torday

Unlock a magic that could change the world ... or destroy it.

Ysolda is on the run, travelling with a rebellious princess to the wilds of the Drakken Peak - on the back of a huge sea wolf. With her faithful sea hawk Nara by her side, her quest to find the fabled magic of the Geomancer is just beginning ...

From the author of The Girl of Ink and Stars, Julia and the Shark and The Mercies, the Geomancer trilogy is a new modern classic for readers young and old.]]> 241 Kiran Millwood Hargrave 1510107886 Emma 5 4.31 2024 The Storm and the Sea Hawk (Geomancer #2)
author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
name: Emma
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: childrns, family, fantasy, found-family, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Murder by Candlelight (The Val & Arbie Mysteries #1)]]> 173288618 The Cotswolds, 1924. At the Old Forge in the quiet village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh a cry of anguish rings out: lady of the house Amy Phelps has been discovered dead. But with all the windows and doors to her room locked from inside, how � and by whom � was she killed?

Arbuthnot ‘Arbie� Swift finds himself in the unlikely position of detective. The celebrated author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting is staying at the Old Forge to investigate a suspected spectre, but now the more pressing matter of Amy’s murder falls to him too.

With old friend Val, he soon uncovers a sorry tale of altered wills, secret love affairs and tragic losses � and plenty of motives for murder. When events take another sinister turn, Arbie must find the killer, fast. And to do so will mean cracking a most perfectly plotted crime…]]> 336 Faith Martin 0008590001 Emma 3 3.77 2024 Murder by Candlelight (The Val & Arbie Mysteries #1)
author: Faith Martin
name: Emma
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: british-hf, cosy-mystery, crime, family, historical-mystery, mystery, small-town
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Man Who Wasn't There (De Bergmankronieken, #3)]]> 28591812
FROM THE ACCLAIMED CREATORS OF WALLANDER and THE BRIDGE

Six skeletons on a mountainside. The relics of a terrible crime committed long ago. For Sebastian Bergman, that just makes the investigation into who they are, who killed them, and why, even more complex. At first the investigation was a chance to escape his ex-girlfriend and spend some time with his daughter, Vanja. An opportunity to try and build a relationship with her before it's too late. But soon he finds that he's more involved than he would ever want to be. And his personal life is horribly, disastrously tangled up in it all . . .]]> 352 Michael Hjorth Emma 4 4.09 2012 The Man Who Wasn't There (De Bergmankronieken, #3)
author: Michael Hjorth
name: Emma
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: contemporary, crime, detectives, found-family, mystery, police-procedural
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Modern Divination (Spells for Life and Death, #1)]]> 62107762
Except, her gift of green magic has begun to fade, and if that wasn’t enough to upset the balance of her life, a fateful run-in with another power-hungry witch with a penchant for stolen magic has threatened to bring it all to ruin.

Cast into an unexpected alliance with her dreadfully arrogant classmate, Aurelia goes into hiding among a peculiar family of witches, where she discovers that the secret to their safety requires breaking rules she has followed all her life:
Make no promises,
Tell no one what you are,
and
Never stay the night.]]> 418 Isabel Agajanian Emma 0 owned-to-read 3.65 2023 Modern Divination (Spells for Life and Death, #1)
author: Isabel Agajanian
name: Emma
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: owned-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Ruse of Shadows (Lady Sherlock, #8)]]> 199212560 Charlotte Holmes is accustomed to solving crimes, not being accused of them, but she finds herself in a dreadfully precarious position as the bestselling Lady Sherlock series continues.

Charlotte’s success on the RMS Provence has afforded her a certain measure of time and assurance. Taking advantage of that, she has been busy, plotting to prise the man her sister loves from Moriarty’s iron grip.

Disruption, however, comes from an unexpected quarter. Lord Bancroft Ashburton, disgraced and imprisoned as a result of Charlotte’s prior investigations, nevertheless manages to press Charlotte into service: Underwood, his most loyal henchman, is missing and Lord Bancroft wants Charlotte to find Underwood, dead or alive.

But then Lord Bancroft himself turns up dead and Charlotte, more than anyone else, meets the trifecta criteria of motive, means, and opportunity. Never mind rescuing anyone else, with the law breathing down her neck, can Charlotte save herself from prosecution for murder?]]> 335 Sherry Thomas 0593640438 Emma 3 4.04 2024 A Ruse of Shadows (Lady Sherlock, #8)
author: Sherry Thomas
name: Emma
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/13
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: british-hf, crime, detectives, family, found-family, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, mystery, victorian-hf
review:

]]> <![CDATA[In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen (Geomancer, #1)]]> 100418956
In the lakes, the wolf queen sharpens her spear.
In the mountains, an ancient girl opens an eye.
In the forest, an orphan is summoned by the trees.
Our story has begun ...

Ysolda has lived her life in the shadow of the wolf queen's tyrannical rule but, safe in her forest haven, she has never truly felt its threat.

Until one day when a mysterious earthquake shakes the land and her older sister Hari vanishes in its wake.

Accompanied by her loyal sea hawk, Nara, Ysolda embarks on a desperate rescue mission. But when she is forced to strike a bargain with the wolf queen herself, she soon finds herself embroiled in a quest for a magic more powerful - and more dangerous - than she could ever have imagined ...

This is the first in the Geomancer trilogy, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Julia and the Shark, The Mercies and The Girl of Ink and Stars.]]> 245 Kiran Millwood Hargrave 1510107835 Emma 5 4.03 2023 In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen (Geomancer, #1)
author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
name: Emma
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: childrns, family, magic, fantasy, ya
review:

]]> The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter 37380 359 Carson McCullers 0618084746 Emma 0 3.99 1940 The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
author: Carson McCullers
name: Emma
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1940
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: america-hf, found-family, historical-fiction, small-town
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Queen James: A New History About the Life and Loves of Britain’s First King, James Stuart]]> 218724247 'James comes alive in full flamboyance � Russell expertly weaves the bedchamber gossip into the tapestry of a tumultuous reign' SUNDAY TIMES

'Brings the backbiting and power struggles of the Jacobean court to life with wit and vigour' OBSERVER

‘A warts and all story told with compassion� PHILIPPA GREGORY

_______________________________

‘Elizabeth was king,

Then James was queen.� � English author (1603)

James Stuart, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland did not always love wisely, but he never failed to do so boldly.

He fell in love three times � with a Scottish lord, a knight and George Villiers, ‘the handsomest man in the whole world�. He was infatuated three more times � with a Highland earl, a Welsh lord and an English spy.

We know so much about the six wives of Henry VIII, why not the six loves of James I?

This groundbreaking new book puts James � genius, liar, spendthrift, idealist, witch-hunter � and the men he loved at the centre of one of the most dramatic stories in British royal history.

Beginning with the brutal and mysterious murder of his father in 1567, James’s life encompassed kidnapping, witchcraft trials, torture, his mother’s beheading, poison, political radicalism, religious fundamentalism, a queen’s alleged abortion, passionate sex, strong love, stronger hate, espionage, brothels, and a decade-long love affair that ended in assassination.

It is unquestionably one of the most gripping stories in British history, retold in Gareth Russell’s Queen James with scholarship, biographical insight and wit.

________________________________

'Books like this don't come along very often. Told with Gareth Russell's characteristic verve and exquisite eye for detail, it is a story so compelling and surprising that it feels as if it has been hiding in plain sight for 400 years. A stunning achievement and a must for history fans everywhere' TRACY BORMAN]]> 484 Gareth Russell 0008660875 Emma 0 to-read 4.45 Queen James: A New History About the Life and Loves of Britain’s First King, James Stuart
author: Gareth Russell
name: Emma
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Salt & Broom 123443274
"Salt and broom, make this room
Safe and tight, against the night."

Trunks packed with potions and cures, Jane Aire sets out on a crisp, clear morning in October to face the greatest challenge of her sheltered girls�-school existence. A shadow lies over Thornfield Hall and its reclusive master, Edward Rochester. And he’s hired her only as a last resort. Jane stumbles again and again as she tries to establish a rapport with her prickly new employer, but he becomes the least of her worries as a mysterious force seems to work against her. The threats mount around both Jane and Rochester—who’s becoming more intriguing and appealing to her by the day. Jane begins to fear her herb healing and protective charms may not be enough to save the man she’s growing to love from a threat darker and more dangerous than either of them imagined.]]> 282 Sharon Lynn Fisher 1662515685 Emma 4 4.12 2023 Salt & Broom
author: Sharon Lynn Fisher
name: Emma
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: british-hf, classics, historical-fiction, kindle-unlimited, mystery
review:

]]> Katabasis 210191773 Two graduate students must set aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.]]> 560 R.F. Kuang 0063021471 Emma 0 to-read 4.26 2025 Katabasis
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Emma
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Gentleman of Sinister Schemes (The Lord Julian Mysteries #8)]]> 220366019
When further attempts to end Dalhousie’s existence put Julian himself in danger, Julian must choose between disorderly retreat and a steadfast pursuit of truth, though either choice might well cost him his honor or his life!]]> 291 Grace Burrowes 1962291189 Emma 4 4.46 2025 A Gentleman of Sinister Schemes (The Lord Julian Mysteries #8)
author: Grace Burrowes
name: Emma
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: british-hf, crime, found-family, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, mystery, regency-hf
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dear Life: A Doctor's Story of Love and Loss]]> 50935544 Rachel's training was put to the test in 2017 when her beloved GP father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She learned that nothing - even the best palliative care - can sugar-coat the pain of losing someone you love.
And yet, she argues, in a hospice there is more of what matters in life - more love, more strength, more kindness, more joy, more tenderness, more grace, more compassion - than you could ever imagine. For if there is a difference between people who know they are dying and the rest of us, it is simply this: that the terminally ill know their time is running out, while we live as though we have all the time in the world.
Dear Life is a book about the vital importance of human connection, by the doctor we would all want by our sides at a time of crisis. It is a love letter - to a father, to a profession, to life itself.]]> 336 Rachel Clarke 1408712520 Emma 0 4.44 2020 Dear Life: A Doctor's Story of Love and Loss
author: Rachel Clarke
name: Emma
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: family, non-fiction, science, owned-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Someone You Can Build a Nest In]]> 182506390 Discover this creepy, charming monster-slaying fantasy romance—from the perspective of the monster—by Nebula Award-winning debut author John Wiswell

Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she's fallen in love.

Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor. When her rest is interrupted by hunters intent on murdering her, she constructs a body from the remains of past meals: a metal chain for a backbone, borrowed bones for limbs, and a bear trap as an extra mouth.

However, the hunters chase Shesheshen out of her home and off a cliff. Badly hurt, she’s found and nursed back to health by Homily, a warm-hearted human, who has mistaken Shesheshen as a fellow human. Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent co-parent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshen’s eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out. But as they grow close, she realizes humans don’t think about love that way.

Shesheshen hates keeping her identity secret from Homily, but just as she’s about to confess, Homily reveals why she’s in the area: she’s hunting a shapeshifting monster that supposedly cursed her family. Has Shesheshen seen it anywhere?

Eating her girlfriend isn’t an option. Shesheshen didn’t curse anyone, but to give herself and Homily a chance at happiness, she has to figure out why Homily’s twisted family thinks she did. As the hunt for the monster becomes increasingly deadly, Shesheshen must unearth the truth quickly, or soon both of their lives will be at risk.

And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with, rather than in, the love of her life.]]> 310 John Wiswell 0756418852 Emma 3 3.97 2024 Someone You Can Build a Nest In
author: John Wiswell
name: Emma
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: fantasy, fantasy-romance, shapeshifters
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mad Ship (Liveship Traders, #2)]]> 45101
Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here]]> 906 Robin Hobb 0006498868 Emma 5
Re read. April 2019. LOVED it! Amazing, the turn about in Malta through this book and how Wintrow is equally involved in the destiny of the serpents. I really felt for Paragon as he begins to remember who he really is. I was hardly breathing when the wizardwood started to crack open!]]> 4.29 1999 The Mad Ship (Liveship Traders, #2)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: fantasy, favorites, re-read, dragons, epic-fantasy, found-family, historical-fantasy, magic
review:
Wonderful. I actually enjoyed this even more than the first in the series. Robin Hobb weaves such a tale..I am completely caught up in the characters and the world she has created. I love the way her characters grow and develop over time.

Re read. April 2019. LOVED it! Amazing, the turn about in Malta through this book and how Wintrow is equally involved in the destiny of the serpents. I really felt for Paragon as he begins to remember who he really is. I was hardly breathing when the wizardwood started to crack open!
]]> <![CDATA[Down the River Unto the Sea (King Oliver, #1)]]> 35173689 From trailblazing novelist Walter Mosley: a former NYPD cop once imprisoned for a crime he did not commit must solve two cases: that of a man wrongly condemned to die, and his own.

Joe King Oliver was one of the NYPD's finest investigators, until, dispatched to arrest a well-heeled car thief, he is framed for assault by his enemies within the NYPD, a charge which lands him in solitary at Rikers Island.

A decade later, King is a private detective, running his agency with the help of his teenage daughter, Aja-Denise. Broken by the brutality he suffered and committed in equal measure while behind bars, his work and his daughter are the only light in his solitary life. When he receives a card in the mail from the woman who admits she was paid to frame him those years ago, King realizes that he has no choice but to take his own case: figuring out who on the force wanted him disposed of--and why.

Running in parallel with King's own quest for justice is the case of a Black radical journalist accused of killing two on-duty police officers who had been abusing their badges to traffic in drugs and women within the city's poorest neighborhoods.

Joined by Melquarth Frost, a brilliant sociopath, our hero must beat dirty cops and dirtier bankers, craven lawyers, and above all keep his daughter far from the underworld in which he works. All the while, two lives hang in the balance: King's client's, and King's own.]]> 336 Walter Mosley 0316509647 Emma 4 3.58 2018 Down the River Unto the Sea (King Oliver, #1)
author: Walter Mosley
name: Emma
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: bipoc, contemporary, crime, detectives, mystery, noir
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Saving Time (The Time Police, #3)]]> 55773332 xxx 497 Jodi Taylor Emma 4 4.57 2023 Saving Time (The Time Police, #3)
author: Jodi Taylor
name: Emma
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: found-family, science-fiction, time-travel
review:

]]> Wintercombe (Wintercombe, #1) 812208 528 Pamela Belle 0312023200 Emma 4 4.09 1988 Wintercombe (Wintercombe, #1)
author: Pamela Belle
name: Emma
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: historical-fiction, british-hf, family, kindle-unlimited
review:

]]> <![CDATA[New Orleans Night: The 9th Jack Nightingale Supernatural Thriller]]> 58556981 Jack nightingale 285 Stephen Leather Emma 4 4.32 New Orleans Night: The 9th Jack Nightingale Supernatural Thriller
author: Stephen Leather
name: Emma
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: contemporary, demons, mystery, new-orleans, paranormal, thriller, zombies
review:

]]> The Man Who Watched Women 25015997
Sebastian desperately needs some order in his chaotic life. The revelation that he has a daughter, Vanja, could provide this longed-for stability. But should he tell her the truth and risk destroying her life and career?

Forcing his way into the investigation, Sebastian soon learns that the murders are connected to him and that no one around him is safe. Including Vanja.]]> 528 Michael Hjorth 1784752401 Emma 5 4.04 2011 The Man Who Watched Women
author: Michael Hjorth
name: Emma
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: contemporary, crime, detectives, mystery, police-procedural
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Foot in the Fade (The Fetch Phillips Archives, #3)]]> 58684322
In a city that lost its magic, an angel falls in a downtown street. His wings are feathered, whole—undeniably magical—the man clearly flew, because he left one hell of a mess when he plummeted into the sidewalk.

But what sent him up? What brought him down? And will the answers help Fetch bring the magic back for good?

Working alongside necromancers, genies, and shadowy secret societies, through the wildest forests and dingiest dive bars, this case will leave its mark on Fetch's body, his soul, and the fate of the world.

Praise for the Fetch Phillips novels:

"Superb... With a lead who would be at home in the pages of a Raymond Chandler or James Ellory novel and a nicely twisty plot, this installment makes a strong case for Arnold's series to enjoy a long run." � Publishers Weekly

"Arnold's universe has everything, including the angst of being human. The perfect story for adult fantasy fans—a tough PI and a murder mystery wrapped around the mysticism of Hogwarts, sprinkled with faerie dust." � Library Journal (starred review)

Fetch Phillips Novels
The Last Smile in Sunder City
Dead Man in a Ditch
One Foot in the Fade]]> 464 Luke Arnold 031666877X Emma 5 4.13 One Foot in the Fade (The Fetch Phillips Archives, #3)
author: Luke Arnold
name: Emma
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: detectives, fantasy, found-family, magic, mystery, post-apocalypse, shapeshifters, re-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ship of Magic (Liveship Traders, #1)]]> 45100
For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy unjustly denied her--a legacy she will risk anything to reclaim. For Althea's young nephew Wintrow, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard ship, Vivacia is a life sentence.

But the fate of the Vestrit family--and the ship--may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider. The ruthless pirate Kennit seeks a way to seize power over all the denizens of the Pirate Isles...and the first step of his plan requires him to capture his own liveship and bend it to his will....


From the Paperback edition.]]> 880 Robin Hobb 000649885X Emma 5 4.20 1998 Ship of Magic (Liveship Traders, #1)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: fantasy, favorites, epic-fantasy, magic, re-read, dragons
review:
Even better on a reread! This is the trilogy that some Hobb fans put off reading. I did myself for a long time. But it really does have a magic all of its own and of course this time round, understanding how it all fits together in the Realm of the Elderlings, means the foreshadowing is easier to spot. Such a cast of characters! And character depth and development for them all- through this book and the trilogy
]]> <![CDATA[Dark Secrets (Sebastian Bergman #1)]]> 15791150
Meanwhile, Sebastian Bergman, psychologist, criminal profiler and one of Sweden's top experts on serial killers, is in Västerås to settle his mother's estate following her death. Sebastian has withdrawn from police work after the death of his wife and daughter in the 2004 tsunami.

When the Crime Investigation Department asks Sebastian for his help in Roger's case, his arrogant manner at first alienates the rest of the team. Pushing forward, though, they begin to make disturbing discoveries about the private school Roger attended....]]> 463 Michael Hjorth 1455520756 Emma 4 4.06 2010 Dark Secrets (Sebastian Bergman #1)
author: Michael Hjorth
name: Emma
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: contemporary, crime, mystery, police-procedural, thriller, detectives
review:

]]> The Moonlight Market 199894656
Deep in the heart of London, a photographer walks the streets and captures whatever catches his an old man drinking coffee; a beautiful woman sipping champagne in St. Pancras station; a cloud of moths, disturbed, taking flight across the sky.

But with each photo, he captures something unseen by the eye, and as each negative develops—revealing a person he hadn’t met, a danger he hadn’t noticed, and a world he hadn’t seen—he is drawn further into a hidden war. One which he has been drawn into many times before . . . and every time, had his memories of the truth, and of the woman he loves, stolen from him.

As Tom pieces fragments of the truth together, he realizes he must weave through the war and fight his own both for the woman he loves, and for himself.]]> 336 Joanne Harris 1639366644 Emma 3 3.36 2024 The Moonlight Market
author: Joanne Harris
name: Emma
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: contemporary, fae, fairy-tale-re-tellings, fantasy, magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Ones (The Moonwind Mysteries Book 3)]]> 209608730 Mika will do what it takes to make sure there are no more lost ones—and to bring the infamous killer, the Dark Angel, out into the light.

It’s summer in 1880 Stockholm, and the city bakes in the heat—but the heat on twelve-year-old Mika is lifting. After lying low following the dramatic blast at the jail, Mika’s relieved to learn her name is finally cleared. And it’s not a moment too soon—because Detective Hoff has a perplexing case involving the disappearance of a local teen. The girl’s wealthy family wants to make sure things stay quiet. Why would a girl who has everything want to run away? And why is her family so afraid to go public?

Then Tekla reaches out to Mika with a truly chilling discovery at a construction site in the city—a discovery that might hit a little too close to home for Mika. Could it be the work of the Dark Angel?

As the summer heats up, Mika will make some tough choices as she works to uncover these mysteries, including the biggest mystery of her own family. Join Mika and Detective Hoff in this thrilling new installment of the Moonwind Mysteries series!]]> 219 Johan Rundberg 1662525567 Emma 5 4.49 The Lost Ones (The Moonwind Mysteries Book 3)
author: Johan Rundberg
name: Emma
average rating: 4.49
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: childrns, crime, detectives, found-family, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, kindle-unlimited
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hard Time (The Time Police, #2)]]> 49021623
A time slip in Versailles, problems in the Ice Age and illegal time travellers in need of rescue. Must be a job for the Time Police.

Luke, Jane and Matthew are back and ready to cause havoc - inadvertently or otherwise - in their latest adventures.]]> 544 Jodi Taylor Emma 4 4.46 2020 Hard Time (The Time Police, #2)
author: Jodi Taylor
name: Emma
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: found-family, science-fiction, time-travel
review:

]]> 'Salem's Lot 5413 Also contains: One For the Road, Jerusalem's Lot. For standalone novel see ISBN 9780450031069.

Stephen King's second novel, the classic vampire bestseller 'Salem's Lot, tells the story of evil in small-town America. For the first time in a major trade edition, this terrifying novel is accompanied by previously unpublished material from King's archive, two short stories, and eerie photographs that bring King's fictional darkness and evil to vivid life.

When Stephen King’s classic thriller 'Salem's Lot hit the stands in 1975, it thrilled and terrified millions of readers with tales of demonic evil in small-town America. Now, thirty years later and still scaring readers witless, 'Salem's Lot reemerges in a brilliant new edition, complete with photographs, fifty pages of deleted and alternate scenes, and two short stories related to the events of the novel.

While the original edition of 'Salem's Lot will forever be a premier horror classic, 'Salem's Lot: Illustrated Edition, with the inclusion of material from King’s archive, is destined to become a classic in its own right and a must-have for all Stephen King fans. In this edition, the hair-raising story of Jerusalem’s Lot, a small town in Maine whose inhabitants succumb to the evil allure of a new resident, is told as the author envisioned it, complete with fifty pages of alternate and deleted scenes. With a new introduction by the author, two short stories related to the events and residents of Jerusalem’s Lot, the lavishly creepy photographs of Jerry Uelsmann, and a stunning new page design, this edition brings the story to life in words and pictures as never before.

No library will be complete without this ideal collector’s item for any King aficionado, the definitive illustrated edition of the great 'Salem's Lot.]]> 594 Stephen King 0385516487 Emma 4 4.28 1975 'Salem's Lot
author: Stephen King
name: Emma
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1975
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves:
review:

]]>